Postcard 8: Slumdog Millionaire

Hello Youssef,

I have not yet watched Slumdog Millionaire, but I will certainly watch it when it is out on DVD. The article you have sent me is about Bombay and how this city came to be. I know a little bit what the film is about and I think that everyone who lives in the slums of Bombay dreams of being a millionaire.

The article you sent me is about a traveller who is a Britt staying in Bombay. He is the one that has written the article. He describes the city like Marco Polo would have described the city if he would have been there.

Since I am reading Marco Polo at the moment, I would recommend this article to anyone who would be reading Marco Polo as well. Marco Polo would be comparing stuff in the city with places he had already visited. He would tell us about the origin of the city and about how it came to be so large. He would tell us about the things people do to make money like making movies, guiding tourists. He would tell us about the big stock exchange and the beautiful buildings and old architecture in the city. The spiritual beliefs people have is also something Marco Polo would tell about. That is what makes the writer of this article a modern version of Marco Polo.

I would also recommend it to anyone because of its relevance in regard to Slumdog Millionaire. In the article a taxi driver followed the writer around for more than ten minutes to get the writer in the car and show him Bombay. He would get a exclusive three hour tour of the city in which he would show the red light district, the slums, the famous outdoor laundry: in short, the “real” Bombay. Except this is the Bombay we know from the telly. Is this the real Bombay I wonder. I don’t think so, the only real deal you will get are the slums and of course your guide; with 35 dollars per tour a soon the become real slumdog millionaire.